An Australian is primarly one who believes in our Constitution, institutions of Government and laws. Anyone who wishes to undermine this is seditious and un-Australian.

Our established attitudes and behaviour can identify an Aussie overseas but these are merely our cultural heritage.

The attitudes of non racists is racist. If racism is totlly unacceptable, and opposition to racism is a moral absolute, then any form of racism is evil. Therefore, if it is PC acceptable to claim that the instant an Iraqi “refugee” sticks his big toe on Australian soil that he is just as “Australian” as Ian Thorpe, then when Captain Cook put his foot on Botany Bay, he was just as “aboriginal” as Rainier. The fact that fairyland interpretations of race and ethnicity can work both ways is something which never even occurs to people who have been PC indoctrinated by left wing teachers.

Claiming that racism is entirely learned behaviour is nothing more than an unsupported allegation. In group / out group hostility is a manifestation of group loyalty to family, tribe, clan, or nationality, and that has always been based around hostility to outside entities. Membership of any family, clan, tribe or ethnicity has for millennia been almost entirely based upon race. Human warfare has been around for a long time and although prostitution has been called “the world’s oldest profession”, “soldiering” might also claim that honour. Due to the complementary nature of both professions, then both professions could claim equal place for the title.

Hostility to outside groups is entirely a measure of how much outsiders are considered a threat to the primary group. Muslims in Australia are determined not to integrate into accepting Australian mainstream culture and so they will never be accepted by Australians as being part of our family, tribe or group. So when men of this particular group engage in hostile acts against the majority group, then all the members of the Muslim group will be considered hostile. The only way to mitigate this is for all Muslims make unmistakable and genuine attempts to condemn the men who claim to speak for all Muslims, and throw them out of their particular group.

If Muslims do not do this, then racism and hostility towards their particular group will increase, and that increase can be seen by the majority group as both justifiable and acceptable.

I was not taught by Left wing teachers - the Christian Brothers learned me all I no - "Beaten But Not Buggered" is emblazoned on my family crest.

And redneck is right rascism is not learnt. We probably all carry with us rudimentary allegiances to our tribe but some of us have learnt that rascim and fearful hatred of the different, a bit like eating your young and clubbing women into servitude, is counter productive to right living - so we have grown out of it.

Just a few technical points:

In anthropological terms, "Australian" refers to Aboriginal people and languages. In strictly legal terms, an Australian is anybody who is legally living in Australia.

Of course, in practice some Australians consider themselves more "Australian" than others, based upon their personal ideas about what constitutes legitimate membership of Australian society. Some of the more ridiculous comments above demonstrate how extreme such views can be.

Also, since I invoked anthropology above, as usual those whose personal ideas about 'legitimacy' invoke the language of racism, are conflating ethnocentrism (the 'natural' tendency of humans to identify with the human group to which they belong) with racism (the classification of human groups according to ideas about biological race and the subsequent discriminatory behaviour towards and ideas about individuals thus classified).

On the other hand, we have the self-evident notion of being Australian that was demonstrated last night by the Socceroos and the millions of Australians who are today celebrating that wonderful victory. Those in this forum who like to decry 'multiculturalism' might like to consider its direct correlation with our current success in the 'world game'.

Lastly, I note that Boaz's subjective criteria for Australianness would likely exclude a significant proportion of the 'white' population. Fortunately, I suspect that few people take such comments seriously.

I couldn't give a rats how "Australian" I am, or you are, or anyone else for that matter. I am an Australian citizen, I choose to live here and bring my kids up here, but I certainly don't fit Philo's definition, so perhaps I'm not one at all.
As to Redneck's Iraqi with the big toe, again I don't care if he is as "Australian" as Redneck claims to be, but she/ he is fully as human and therefore deserves the same rights, respect and courtesy as any other human, regardless of what label you care to hang around his or her neck.

mahatma duck,
To be legally identified as Australian is not based in genetic race identifiers, it is the allegiance one has to our system of society, our Government its institutions and laws.

We are a diverse democratic society where all citizens are given equality before the law. Where Government is based in the power of the people represented by the crown and locally elected representatives. Where the judicary enacts the conscience and will of the people in the administration of law.

When we witness the corruption, undermining and abuse of our institutions then we believe such persons to be unaustralian. The violation or abuse of our borders, our welfare, our national security, our troops, our symbols [ie. flag], sporting teams, our common history or language etc etc.